Dr. Rachel Wellner is a Board-certified general surgeon, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a breast oncology surgeon with training from the Society of Surgical Oncology. Dr. Wellner earned her Master's in Public Health from Columbia University. Now, in addition to her MD and surgical training her most recent start-up, Caelum Diagnostic Solutions, Inc., aims to identify cancer edges intraoperatively.
Dr. Wellner has added the role of author to her duties. “Doctoroo & The Case of The Hacking Hippo.” a new children's book, is the second offering in the Doctor Marsha Roo (Doctoroo) series created to entertain children at the preschool through the grade school level relying on educational content Drawing on her background in health and medicine, Dr. Wellner designed the series to be both informative and entertaining, as she explains in our exclusive interview
What was the impetus for writing "Doctoroo & The Case Of The Hacking Hippo?"
I have a long-standing history of caring for the world's little ones, and I believe that a healthy foundation leads to improved life-long health. I was, in part, inspired by the global pandemic to pen Doctoroo & The Case of the Hacking Hippo to highlight the importance of hand hygiene. I was also excited to tell the story in the form of a mystery, allowing children to utilize their creative minds to journey alongside Doctoroo and solve Hilda the Hippo's health problem!
What surprised you most about writing this book?
I was surprised by how excited I was by the characters. They really came to life for me in such a way that I became invested in Doctoroo's success and Hilda's recovery! There is something special about seeing animated, colorful pictures, which bring an important message to life. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the arts, and storytelling. But I’ve also been involved heavily in the clinical world, with its many points of data. This book allowed me use color, imagination, and mystery as a way to impart important health facts. So I was surprised how well it worked to combine fantasy and medical facts.
This is the second book in the series. How many books are there in this series?
So far, this is 2/2. I plan to turn Doctoroo into a whole series- I have yet to set a limit on how many Doctoroo stories I plan to tell! As children identify with Doctoroo, I think the sky’s the limit with what I can do as far interesting storylines with the Dr imparting wisdom cute, colorful characters.
What do you hope children take away from this book?
I very much want children to learn the important health lessons in this book while investing in the mystery. I look at the mystery as a tool to allow all-comers to learn and apply the health lessons embedded in the story. An interesting story holds the attention of kids and gets them to retain information. My goal has been to give children the enjoyment of vivid, colorful pics and characters, while at the same time learning something about health.
Do you see yourself primarily as a children’s book author?
While I am highly committed to being a children's book author, this is not my only role. I write for adults, as well. I think writing has been a creative outlet for me, which is why I’ve enjoyed writing non-fiction. Whether it is directed at children or adults, I love telling a great story with mystery and imagination. At the same time, the scientist in me wants to share real concepts from the clinical world. Beyond writing, my horizons are being expanded by running a biotech company. And I remain clinically active.
Are you working on other books?
I plan to pen at least 15-20 books in the Doctoroo series. Currently I'm working on different kinds of adult books, writing a murder mystery and a nonfiction book. As I’ve said, writing is a creative expression for me, so I’ve been looking for other places to tell stories. So I decided to venture into the world of movies by writing a screenplay.
For more information on Rachel Wellner please visit https://www.doctoroo.health/
